Excessive sports drink consumption can lead to pathological tooth loss

Sports drinks have been increasing in demand for the past decade and people have become addicted to their use whether they perform exercise and physical activities regularly or merely on weekends. People have made it their habit to consume energy drinks several times in a day and they always express the feeling of fullness and agility in their body after drinking these tonics. People think these drinks are essential for completing their daily requirements of calories and

they feel tired and lethargic if they miss these daily doses. Recent research has shown that these energy and sports drinks contain plenty of sugar content in the form of refined carbohydrates and synthetic sugars which can seriously cause damage to natural human teeth. In addition to dental problems, increased sugar intake can cause weight gain, obesity and greater risk of development of hypertension and cardiovascular disorders.

An average energy drink contains approximately thirteen or more tea spoons of synthetic sugars as part of the overall composition. This huge sugar content can undergo breakdown within the oral cavity providing rich source of nutrients to caries causing microorganisms resulting in de-mineralization of tooth enamel and increases the incidence of dental decay and tooth erosion. Tooth erosion occurs following decrease in Ph values in the mouth due to sugar breakdown. It has been observed that people like to sip these fizzy beverages in spite of taking them down their throat as a whole. This sipping habit serves to provide continuous acidic content to tooth surfaces further increasing chances of dental decay and enamel erosion. The following article thoroughly describes various health hazards caused by consumption of energy sports drinks related to dental health as well as general health.

“Not only are sports drinks acidic and high in sugar, but people tend to sip on them frequently during exercise rather than consuming them all at once. This increases the time that teeth are exposed and leaves them vulnerable to dental damage,” said Dr Alldritt.

“Sports drinks are designed for elite athletes and not the average weekend warrior. Frequent use can cause teeth erosion and increase your risk of tooth decay. We are alarmed that people consume these drinks even when they’re not exercising – when they are working at their desk or watching TV. Water should be the choice for hydration,” Dr Alldritt added.

“Like other sugary beverages such as soft drinks and energy drinks, the excess sugar in sports drinks can lead to weight gain and increase your risk of serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers, heart and kidney disease and stroke,” Mr Sinclair said.